Deep-well filter-casing



G. W. DURBROW. DEEE WELL EILTEE GASING.

(No Model.)

'sented May 19, 1896.

y Inventor 14675176.3666 Q QM mf AN DREW EGRAHAM PHUTOUTHO. WASI NGDNJIC UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

vIEORGE IV. DURBROV, OF SALTON,'CALIFORNIA.

DEEP-WELL FILTER-CASING.

sPEcIrnmTIoN- forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,399, dated May 19, 189e.

. Application filed August 22, 1895.

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Beitknownthatl, GEORGE W. DURBRow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salton, in the lcounty of Riverside and State of California, have invented a new and useful Deep-fell Filter-Casing, of which the following is a specification.

It has heretofore been found impracticable to obtain water from quicksands at great depths, for the reason that the quicksands, if allowed to enter the casing, will fill up the casing and shut off the water. In the case of shallow wells using suction-pipes it is possible to prevent the quicksandsfrom entering the casing by providing between the casing and the exterior earth a packing of filtering material, but this is impracticable with wells of any great depth, for the reason that an outside casing must be used in sinking the well and it must be withdrawn as the filtering-packing is put in place, and it is impracticable to withdraw the outside casing from any great depth.

An object of my invention is to provide effeet-ive means for shutting off the quicksand at any depth of well and yet allow the water to flow into the wellfrom such quicksand.

Another object of my invention is to enable me to get a iiow from every water -bearing stratum through which the well-Casin g passes.

In many instances with the old style of casing the well-casing is pushed ahead of the tool, and in that way shuts off many strata from which water will be obtained by my newly-invented casing.

IVith my new casing it is impossible to pass through any water-bearing stratum without receiving the flow therefrom, so that with my casingIwill obtain the entire iow from all the water-bearing strata through which the casing passes.

To illustrate the utility of my invention, I will state that it often occurs that in sinking an Artesian well numerous thin strata of fine or quicksand will occur under their respective hard layers of material-such as clay, cement, sandstone, &c.-and when the casing has penetrated the overlying hard layer it will be suddenly forced on through the water-bearing stratum and will completely shut it oft' without any notification to the well- Serial No. 560,117. (No model.)

borer. By my invention I will obtain water from each and every stratum.

Another'object of my invention is to provide means whereby the perforations of the casing can be opened if they become clogged.

I will here explain that there are three modes of making Artesian wells. sists in driving a pipe provided with a point and with a perforated portion at the bottom down through the earth until the lower portion enters the water-bearing strata. Another mode is to sink the well by means of drills and sand-pumps inside the pipe or casing, the drill being used to break up the hard substances and the sand-pump to remove the material from the bottom of the easing. The sand-pump consists of a hollow cylinder having a valve at the bottom, so that when the same is dropped down the pipe which forms the casing of the well the valve will open when it strikes the material at the bottom of the well, such material being moistened by water poured into the casing at the top of the well in case there is not sufficient moisture in the earth strata to make the mass fluid. Another mode of sinking these wells is by hydraulic power. In sinkin g by this mode a pipe smaller than the well-casing is inserted inside of the well-casing, and to the top of this pipe is attached a hose which leads from a pump, and water is pumped from the pump through the hose and down the pipe to the bottom of the casing with sufficient force to raise the material at the bottom of the wellcasing and to carryit to the surface and there discharge it. If hard material is found atthe bottom of the well-casing, a tool is attached to the smaller pipe, and this pipe is raised and lowered with sufiicient force to break up the material. The water passes down the pipe all the time, and forces the material out through the casing between it and the smaller pipe to the surface of the ground.

My invention is applicable for use for sinking wells with either sand-pumps or hydraulic power, and in the case of hydraulic power it is of special advantage, because the inside casing of the well can be made of a small diameter, so that theoutilowing water containing the sand, clay, the., will have a great velocity, thus preventing the settling back of Vthe material, and at the same time the water One oon- IOO from the different strata will find its way to the surface, as hereinafter explained. An object of my invention in this relation is to provide improved means for sinking wells by hydraulics.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure l is a fragmental vertical mid-section of a completed well supplied with my newly-invented casing. Fig. 2 is a fragmen-V tal vertical mid-section of a well in course of being sunk with hydraulics applied through my new casing. The inner pipe has not yet been perforated and serves as a conduit through which the material is discharged by the hydraulic force. Fig. 3 is a fragmental enlarged detail showing one side of the lower portion of my improved casing. Fig. 4: is a perspective horizontal section of my newlyinvented casing and shows slotted as well as punched perforations. Fig. `5 is a fragmental vertical section showing a simple filter of asbestos cloth. Y

A indicates the ordinary steel shoe.

B indicates the lower portion or starter of ihe casing varying in length from ten to twenty feet. This consists of a length of welded wrought-iron pipe, the object in this being to obtain a straight hole and also, where a sand-pump is used, to give it a lateral motion to prevent a shoulder from forming at the shoe.

C indicates the perforated outside case, which may be either a wrought-iron pipe or whatis known as a double stovepipe-casing or any other suitable kind of pipe.

D is the inside pipe, which, when the well is completed, is perforated, but the perfora- I tions can be made either before or after the 1 easing is in place in the well. The inside pipe D is a single stovepipe-casing or any other suitable form of casing and is of a diameter i suiiiciently smaller than that of the outer case to allow a iilterrspace between the two casings C and D. This space may vary according to the judgment of the operator or the requirel For use with an outside i ments of the well. case of ten inches in, diameter the inside pipe can be as small as two inches and may be as large as nine inches and may be of any diameter sutlicien tly small to allow of the insertion of suitable filtering material between the two casings. Vh'ere the small-sized inside casing or pipe is used, the well can most conveniently be sunk by hydraulic, in which case the inside pipe would not be perforated y until after the well is completed. The inside pipe flares at its lower end, as at d, and may b'e riveted to the upper end of the starter, or

it may be riveted to the lower end of the outside case, as at d', Fig.

E indicates a suitable filter-packing between the outside and inside casings. The filtering-packing may be of any suitable filtering material, but I have discovered that a superior packing for this purpose can be made by the use of asbestos, either as a part or all ot the filtering-packing. The asbestos is indcstructible, and cloth made therefrom forms a close, strong, and indestructible filtering mesh, which will prevent the passage of the iine sand which might ind its way through the perforations and the other iilterin g inate rial in the iltering-spaee and thus ultimately clog the pipe.

The Iilter may be made of asbestos cloth alone, as shown in Fig. 5. This is specially adapted for use where a thick stratum of quicksands is penetrated, as it will alone prevent the entrance of sand which otherwise could not be kept out and other filtering material will not be required, and the inside pipe is thus allowed to be made of very large diameter. lVhere gravel, charcoal, or other filtering material is used, the asbestos cloth can be placed on the outside of the inside eas ing or on the inside of the outside casing, and the other iilteringmaterial can be placed next to it and between it and the opposite casing.

e indicates asbestos cloth, and e indicates other filtering material.

l indicates the perforations in the outside casing', and 2 indicates the perforations in the inside casing.

l will now describe the manner of using my invention in making a well.

First a hole of sufficient depth is dug to place the starter B in a truevcrtieal position. The starter is then placed and the hole iilled up around the starter with earth. lf a single outside casing is used, (either collar or .flush joiut,) it is screwed onto the starter in the usual way, the inside pipe being previously secured to the outside casin g and being of the same length as the outside casing, so as to project above the upper end thereof, so that as the different sections of `inside and outside pipes are put together the connections will be made properly. Then the iiltering matcrial is placed between the two pipes and the power for shoving the casing applied, the tool inserted within the easing, and the work of sinking the well is then commenced. The succeeding joints of the outside and inside casings are added and the spaces between them iilled with the filtering material as the work progresses. In case the asbestos clot-h is placed next to the inside pipe it is simply wrapped around the pipe and fastened by wire or twine 3 to hold it in place until the gravel or other filtering material is packed around it. The outer casing is perforated before put in place, and in some cases the inside casing will also be perforated before placed; but in case of hydrauliein g the inside casing or pipe D should not be perforated until the well has been completed. Then it can be perforated inthe ordinary way. In perforating the pipe D the perforator can be adjusted so as to only cut through the casing.

Should a double stovepipe outside casing, as shown in Fig. 3, be used, the inside pipe will be riveted to the outside casing, so that the usual two-feet sections can be put to- IOC) IOS

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gether in the usual manner. Vhen double stovepipe-casing is used, only the outside section et of the casing is perforated in the manufacture of it, and the inside section of the f casing will be perforated by the workmen and inside sections to come directly opposite one another.

lVhen the filter-Casin g has entered a waterbearing stratum, the water will percolate through the perforated outer case and the filtering material. If the inside pipe has not yet been perforated, this water will find its way upward through the filtering material and if the pressure is sufficient will flow out at the top between the two casings. Vhen the well has been fully sunk and the inside pipe or casing has been perforated, the water will flow into the inside pipe of the well and gain' a free outlet, and in case of heavy pressure of water the water will also nd an outlet up through the filtering material to the surface, thus utilizing the filtering-space for discharging the water.

When in sinking the wella water-bearing stratum of sufficient force to flow out of the top of the well has been struck, the workmen will soon be notified of this by the outfiowing water between the casings if the inside pipe is not perforated in the case of hydraulic, or by the outfiowing water through the inside pipe in case the inside pipe is perforated and the sand-pump is being used. This notifies the workmen of the depth at which the first fiowin g water is found, and subsequently the increase of the outfiow will notify them of additional strata, so that the earth is easily prospected in this way. After the prospector has found out the depth at which the first flow of water is struck, he can then calculate how much perforated pipe will be required to sink to the depth for which the well was originally intended, and in finishing the well the upper part of the casing will not be perforated, thus to shut off surface water.

In case of any clogging or filling up of the Aperforations or filter the inside pipe may be capped and hydraulic pressure applied in the well to force water downward from the top of the well through the perforations of the inside casing for the purpose of opening up the perforations. If the outside casing is not capped, the water will flow upward and out through the filtering material between the casings and thus cleanse the filtering material. In case it is desired to unclog the perforations of the outside casing both casings are capped and the hydraulic pressure applied through the inner pipe to force water outward through the perforations and the filtering material into the water-bearing strata. If desired, the filter material may be omitted for a greater or less depth above the first flowing stratum, sufficient gravel being allowed above the first infiow to avoid any liability of clogging by sands entering the filteringspace to clog the same above the filtering material.

The inside pipe D may or may not be perforated after the well is finished, according t0 the choice of the operator. In case it is desired to perforate the inner pipe after the well is completed it can be done with any of the ordinary and well-known tools for that purpose, it making no difference where the perforations occur in the inside pipe with relation tothose in the outside pipe, because the water will find its way through the filtering material to the inner perforations without reference to the relative location of the perforations in the two pipes.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the outer perforated casing open at the top; the starter consisting of a straight tube fastened to the bottom of such casing and formin ga downward continuation thereof; the perforated inner casing open at the top and fastened at its lower end to the lowerV end of the outer casing; and the filtering material arranged between the outer casing and the inner casing, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination set forth of the outer casing extending from top to bottom of the well, and having its lower portion imperforate, the inner casing of less diameter than the outer casing, and fiared out at its bottom and secured to the outer casing at the top of the imperforate section thereof and extending from thence to the top of the well; both the inner and the outer casings above their j unction being perforated, and the space between the two being filled with filtering material.

3. The combination of the shoe and open tubular starter; the outside perforated case fastened to the top of the tubular starter; the inside pipe fastened at its lower end to the outside case, and arranged with a space between the pipe and the perforated case from such fastening to the top of the wall.

Signed at Los Angeles July 27, 1895.

GEO. W. DURBROW.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. ToWNsEND, F. M. TowNsEND.

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